


Never's Road

by Seeking7



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Ft. Legend, Future Legend adopts a homeless kid that may or may not grow up to be Hyrule's ancestor, Legend (Linked Universe) Needs a Hug, Legend (Linked Universe)-centric, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), Post adventure fic, an improvised take on frosts witch legend au, and he gets them, follow frost on insta, her art is beautiful, just a little bit though, just a lot of domestic fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2020-12-07
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:08:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27925033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seeking7/pseuds/Seeking7
Summary: Legend was sure he would always be a wandering hero. Even after his adventure with the Links comes to a close, he insists that the life of a nomadic nobody was the one for him.He was wrong.He was completely wrong.++++A Linked Universe fic that explores what Legend may have done in the years after the LU adventure. Also a birthday gift for Frost, whose Witch Legend AU was the inspiration for this fic.
Relationships: Four & Hyrule & Legend & Sky & Time & Twilight & Warriors & Wild & Wind (Linked Universe), Legend & Warriors (Linked Universe)
Comments: 27
Kudos: 97





	Never's Road

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AnxiousArtist0](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnxiousArtist0/gifts).



The festival was incredibly loud. 

Vendors clamored along the mud roads, trying to sell shoes, snakes, sandals, and a strange, sweet new delicacy called fairy floss. Children ran back and forth along the dirt paths, their pointed ears dusted pink from the sweltering afternoon sun. Mosquitoes buzzed above stagnant pools of water on the street as swarms of people tried to shout above the din, and an endless stream of horses and carriages rumbled along the side of the road.

Pandemonium was the best word to describe it. 

Wind and Wild ran up ahead, with Twilight trailing behind the two rambunctious heroes. Sky and Time had drifted off the path towards a jewelry vendor and were running their fingers through the wares, debating which glittering trinkets to buy for their loved ones. Behind them, Four and Hyrule crept along the sides of main street, exchanging friendly witticisms as they sauntered along.

Legend squinted against the harsh sunlight and picked at the dry skin of his cheeks. The leather soles of his shoes burned from the heat kicked off by the sunbaked street, the rings on his fingers sizzled uncomfortably above his knuckles, and the veins in his nostrils were taught and swollen. His nose was already stuffed with the smell of dirt, manure, and iron -- if he didn't find something to drink and wet his face with in the next few minutes, he would probably be dealing with his second messy nosebleed of the day. 

The veteran smiled. His lips cracked as he did and let out a few beads of blood, but the contentment on his face was undeniable. 

Everything was as it should be. 

“Hey, hold up!” Warriors called. Legend reluctantly did as instructed, rolling his eyes and stifling a smile when the captain nudged him in the shoulder. The captain wanted someone to talk to, apparently. 

If the circumstances had been any different, Legend would have pushed him away, but the veteran let himself fall in step with Warriors. Might as well make a few more memories while he still could. 

"Didn’t think we’d spend our last day together at a festival, of all places,” the captain mused. 

”Oh? What did you have in mind, O Captain my Captain?”

Warriors rolled his eyes at the familiar nickname, but didn't complain about it as he usually did. 

”I don’t know," Warriors said. "Something a bit more poetic, maybe." 

Their conversation was cut off by the bleating of sheep. A shepherd guided his flock across the street's main intersection, stopping all traffic until his flock had passed through. The smell of dust and manure clouded in their wake, flanked by the excited cries of children begging their mothers to let them pet the sheep. Legend smirked and Warriors laughed at the ironic disturbance. 

All things considered, however, the captain had a point. With Dark Link defeated and the rifts of time slowly mending themselves to their original state, it was undeniable that their adventure had come to an end. Legend had always expected that something grandiose and dramatic would be awaiting them all at the end of this long road -- as was usually the case for his adventures -- but it seemed like things were coming to a close as humbly and suddenly as they had begun. 

"This isn't a bad way for things to end, though," Warriors said, as if reading Legend’s thoughts. 

"Oh. Oh, yes. Completely. This isn't bad at all," Legend said, smiling as the clamor of the festival around him grew even louder. “We can even pretend that the festival was thrown in our favor, if you wanna take it that way.” 

Warriors gave Legend a sidelong look and patted him on the back. That was usually the captain's goodbye signal, a friendly gesture before he slinked away and found another companion to chat with. 

Warriors made no movement to walk away. 

"It was a great adventure," the captain said, a distant look in his eyes. "I'm so glad and so honored that I was able to fight and travel by your side." 

Legend threaded his fingers through a knot in his hair. "Save the sappy stuff for when everyone can hear it, you stuck up softie." 

Warriors flushed and punched Legend in the shoulder with slightly more vehemence than the first time. The veteran grinned mischievously, but said nothing more.

The day at the festival blurred by, filled with sugar, street corn, and pastries of questionable origin. The weary group filed into a restaurant as the last glimmers of dusk sparkled on the horizon, already trying to guess what the others would order. 

Without a doubt, the restaurant was almost as loud and as packed as the festival had been. Sweat and soy sauce were the predominant odors of the establishment, and it was a wonder that any of the Links could hear each other over the clamor of the other customers. After being escorted to their seats and ordering food and drink, the group breathed a deep sigh of relief. 

It was over. 

It was actually over. 

People swarmed left and right, oblivious to the nine battle-hardened heroes crammed into a booth designed for five people. Legend let the muscles in his neck relax and straightened his back against the plush seat cushions. His own thoughts melted in the surrounding din, and, for a moment, it was almost like the feeling of a great thing coming to an end could be lost in the hubbub around them. 

The waitress returned with everyone's orders, and conversation swelled as the group dug in. It was a huge departure from the normal, silent, fireside dinners. But that was to be expected. Legend had long since learned that routines often change when they're about to come to an end. 

"So, Hero of Legend, what do you plan to do when you go back home?" Warriors asked, tapping his fork to the rim of Legend's plate to get the latter's attention. 

"Hmmmm, good question." Legend took a sip of his drink, cringed at the taste, and sipped again. "What do I plan to do? Hm. Probably spend all day missing you guys." 

Laughter rang out among the group, but there was a heaviness in the noise. Everyone was thinking the same thing, even if their natural reticence wasn't as softened by drink as Legend's was.

"How about you, Captain?" Legend asked, nudging Warriors in response. 

The other heroes leaned in. Warriors fiddled with his scarf and made a thoughtful face.

“I might teach the Royal Guard some of the spells I’ve picked up from you and the traveler,” Warriors began, gesturing to the two heroes in question. “I’ve also gotten some ideas from Sky regarding sword fighting techniques -- once I master those I might make a curriculum for the newbie recruits to go through during boot camp. Horseback training is also a must. And if everything Legend has said about the Royal Guard being especially susceptible to brainwashing is true, I might need to find a way to build their tolerance to manipulative spells.” 

Legend snorted at the captain’s last comment, trying to ignore the wave of admiration that bubbled within him as Warriors spoke. Always sharp and vigilant, that one. Planning seemed as natural to him as breathing, and Legend knew from experience that each of Warriors’ plans and schemes had the weight of intention behind them. 

A sorrowful, salty taste filled Legend’s mouth. 

How long would it be before he could hear the captain ramble on again? Would he ever?

He took another sip of his drink and wrinkled his nose as he did. 

At least he had the memories. 

The focus of conversation shifted away from Warriors but stayed centered around the idea of the future. They went around in a circle, discussing their hopes and dreams, which places they would visit and what people they would talk to, how they would incorporate the lessons they had learned on their adventure into their post-adventure life. Eventually the conversation came back around to Legend, who had only drunk half a teaspoon more of his drink since the chatter began. 

"Well?" Wind asked, his blue eyes sparkling in the dim tavern light. "Spill the beans, Legend! What are you gonna do when you have to leave us? And answer for reals, this time." 

Legend ran a hand through his hair, letting out a sigh when he realized there was no escape from the conversation. He wiped a scrim of froth from his upper lip before clearing his throat. 

"Honestly, I don't think much will change. For me, at least. I'll go home, probably sleep and lay around the house for a few days, and then be called along on another crazy adventure. It's the wandering hero's life for me, lads." 

"No plan to settle down and have kids?" Time asked, an unreadable glint in his eyes. "I know that you're still young, but I'm curious to see if the thought has crossed your mind." 

"Kids?" Legend scoffed. "No way. And settling down sounds nice, but it's never something I'll be able to do. I can only stay in one place for a few days at a time without getting antsy." 

Hyrule and Wild nodded sympathetically while Time and Twilight shared a glance. 

”Do you really think you'll go on another adventure?” Wind asked. “What place do you have left to save?” 

Legend smiled. It was dry and strained under the yellowish light.

”The goddesses will find something for me to do and someplace for me to save. Trust me, I’m called the veteran for a reason.” 

There was another round of laughter, this time a little more conciliatory and somber than the outbursts that had preceded it. Legend forced himself to laugh along. He let out a stifled exhale and watched as his breath sent amber ripples across the surface of his drink. 

"A wandering hero's life for me..." he muttered. 

Something about it sounded less appealing than it used to. 

++++++++++++++++++++++++

Link had spent many nights over many years thinking about that last conversation. 

And every time, he laughed at his past self. 

Oh how _wrong_ he had been. 

He pulled up the hood of his coat and hurried down Castle Town's main road, trying to ignore the sheets of rain pouring from the sky. Thunder boomed above as he unlocked the door to his magic shop and slipped inside. With a flick of his fingers, he ignited the fireplace. The darkened shop illuminated in an instant, and a familiar view came to life around him. Ten years worth of potions sat on wall-mounted shelves, casting multicolored shadows on the wood floor and glistening with the promise of healing, strength, and stamina. Three cast iron cauldrons stood in the corner -- at any other point in the day, they would have been bubbling with any assortment of bizarre ingredients and foreign spices, but Link took care to wash and dry each of them as soon as the sun set. After all, potion making made much less money than one would originally assume. No point in wasting perfectly good rupees on another cauldron when the ones he already had would last a lifetime if properly cared for. 

After preparing a bowl of rice pudding and fiddling with the pull-out-couch until his makeshift bed popped out, Legend settled in for another quiet night. 

Rain pattered against windows. Moonlight reflected off potion bottles. Gusts of wind whistled through the floorboards, and the sounds of mothers singing their children to sleep echoed through the cool air. 

It was nights like these where Link grew thoughtful. 

How many years had passed since his last adventure -- _that_ adventure -- had ended? Ten? No, more than that. Twelve? Fifteen? Fifteen. 

_Fifteen._

He let out an involuntary grunt of surprise as the revelation hit him. 

A lot had changed in those fifteen years. The sarcastic tongue from his youth had faded away, replaced by a thoughtful reticence he was now famous for. No more titles were associated with his name -- he was not “Link, Hero of Legend,” or “Link, Hero of Worlds.” He was “Link, the wizard who cooked dumplings for the Royal Guard Academy every Thursday.” He was “Link, the guy who sold the best healing potions in Castle Town.” 

He was “Link.” 

Just Link. 

Something about it was strange. 

Everything about it was liberating. 

Liberating from what? He wasn’t sure. He still had responsibilities -- far more responsibilities than he had when he was a hero, and far more responsibilities than he would have liked. There were ordinary things, investments, bills, and other things of the more mundane persuasion. 

And there were other responsibilities that fit into no conceivable box, mundane or otherwise. Visiting the local senior’s home every Wednesday. Teaching his next-door neighbors’ twins how to ride a horse. Discovering the secret of the transformation spell. Using said spell to turn himself into an ox every afternoon to help the old widow Telma plow her radish field. Baking cookies to hand out to honors students from the high school down the road. Weeding his garden. Formuling a diluted version of his healing potions en masse for the Castle Town Hospital’s neonatal unit. Combing his beard. Staying up until 2am writing up a magic-and-maths curriculum for his 10 year old apprentice. 

Link sighed and smiled. 

His apprentice. 

He hoped the boy and his older brother were doing well. He’d rented a small apartment for the previously homeless family and helped them move in earlier that week, but he hadn’t been able to visit since. Five consecutive days of stormy weather, coupled with the lingering threat of monsoons, had a way of keeping people indoors. 

Link wrung his hands. If he had it his way, he would have fixed up the melancholy weather with a flick of his fingers. After all, weather control was one of the easier spells to master. But the rainy season was a goddess-send for local farmers, and despite the pain that came with not being able to work or laugh with his apprentice for days on end, Link let the rain rage. 

Fire crackled in the hearth, and Link felt his eyelids slipping dowards. His eyes flickered to the clock on the wall and widened when he read the time. 

Three in the morning. 

Ope. 

Time seemed to fly when he was lost in thought. 

Link got up and placed his empty bowl of pudding in the sink, then shuffled to bed. Hopefully he would be able to get enough sleep before his meeting with the queen tomorrow. Of course, their weekly tea parties didn’t require too much energy, but the Goddesses knew Link didn’t want to be dozing off during their time together. And he still needed to patch up his apprentice’s suit if the little lad wanted to come with him to the palace, granted that the weather would be mild enough for them to meet up. 

He slipped under the blankets of his pull-out-couch and let his leaden eyelids shut, the tips of his ears twitching with every _tic_ and _toc_ of his wall-mounted clock. 

The heat from the fire and warmth from the blankets slowly lulled him to sleep, and Link fell asleep to the sound of his memories. 

++++++++++++++++++++++++

“More sugar?” Zelda asked, dipping a spoon into the porcelain sugar bowl. 

“Yes please,” Link responded. He proffered his teacup to the queen and thanked her, letting his attention drift back to the scenery as she sprinkled sugar into his drink. 

He had woken up that day to a blue, cloudless sky. Only the clean, earthy scent of the air suggested that there had been any sort of storm during the past few days. The walk to Hyrule Castle had been drenched in sunlight and birdsong, and even the sleepy guardsmen seemed to be more alert than usual. 

The world had slipped back to normalcy without missing a beat, and Link found himself smiling at the fact that he could do the same. 

What a blessing it was to be just “Link.” 

“Link? Is everything alright?” 

Zelda’s question snapped Link back to the present, and he let out an embarrassed chuckle as he took the teacup from Zelda’s hand. 

“Yes, yes. Just lost in thought.” 

“That seems to be an increasingly common occurrence these days,” Zelda said with a smile. 

“...well, yes. I suppose you’re right.” 

A shout echoed from the courtyard, quickly followed by a round of applause. 

“Do it again!” a distant voice called. 

“Wait, how does that spell work?” another chimed. 

Zelda’s eyebrows furrowed together. She let out a stifled sigh as she set down her teacup. 

“That’s the new guardsmen, no doubt,” she explained, getting up to look over the balcony railing. “They’re goofing off again. I wonder what the subject of interest is this time.” 

Link set his teacup down on his saucer and walked over to the queen. It was no unusual occurrence for the newer Royal Guard recruits to fool around, but Link would be the last to admit that he found their antics humorous. 

“There they are,” Zelda said, pointing to a cluster of armored teenagers at the far end of the courtyard. “What on earth do they think they’re doing? They’re supposed to be patrolling the south side of the castle!”

Link rested his elbows on the balcony railing and leaned forward. He squinted against the harsh daylight, idly rubbing his beard as he did. It seemed like the guardsmen were huddling around something. Or -- wait, was that someone? 

A flash of magic exploded into the air. It was fleeting and weak, nothing more than a whisper of lightning and a promise of potential. 

“Do it again!” the guardsmen cried. 

Link squinted further. 

And his face split into a grin when he caught sight of a familiar curly-haired, freckle-faced, green-eyed boy. 

“What’s your apprentice doing here?” Zelda challenged, her voice tight with indignation. “How did he get past the guards?” 

“It looks like the guards let him in,” he responded. His logic was solid, but there was a mischievousness in his voice that earned him a swift kick in the shins. Link winced, but the smile didn’t fall off his face. “Look at him. He’s only ten, but I’m telling you, he’ll be a better mage than me in a few years time.” 

The softness in Link’s voice melted the tension in the air. Zelda sighed and ran a hand down her face, leaving little flecks of mascara in her satin gloves as she did so. 

“You really love that little lad, don’t you?” Zelda asked. 

Link said nothing, then nodded in concession.

He might have tried to deny it if he was ten or fifteen years younger, but the sands of time had a way of softening him. 

“He’s an energetic young man,” Zelda observed. The boy backflipped in midair and let out another weak peal of magic, much to the awe of the guardsmen. “How did you meet him?” 

“Found him and his brother on the streets.”

Zelda let out a soft ‘o’ of surprise. 

“My, my. How the tough, sarcastic Hero of Legend has changed.” 

Link snorted indignantly, crossing his arms and rolling his eyes in a way that made him look fifteen years younger. “I’m no silly old sap! I only took him in because he reminds me of someone I used to know.” 

Zelda piqued an eyebrow. 

“Oh? So are you trying to tell me that you haven’t gone soft?” 

Link rolled his eyes again, but the gentleness in his expression betrayed him. His eyes drifted back to his apprentice and the group of guardsmen around him. The lad was now trying to teach the guardsmen some of his spells. Judging from the loud curses and generally frustrated sounds coming from the courtyard, little headway had been made in terms of success, but Link’s heart blossomed with pride irregardless. 

“I never thought you would be the surrogate father type,” Zelda said. 

Link flushed red and looked away. Zelda giggled at his reaction.

“I never did either,” he finally responded. “I never thought I would leave the hero lifestyle. Not even for a moment. But I’m glad I did.” 

“Link.” 

He said nothing. 

“Link, look at me.”

He did. 

The queen’s expression softened, and she pointed to old widow Telma’s radish field, which was now bursting with crops. She pointed to a group of students walking down the road, Link’s signature homemade cookies in hand. She pointed to a mother cradling her premature newborn, a girl with a broken leg nursing a red potion, and the little magic shop down the street. 

And she pointed to the skinny, curly-haired boy in the clearing, who grinned with the confidence of a child who knew they were cherished. 

“Link, you never stopped being a hero.” 

**Author's Note:**

> If you read this far, I'm assuming that you like Linked Universe. If that's the case, please consider taking a look at Frost's artwork! Her instagram handle is @anxiousartist0, and she posts some of the most stunning Legend artwork I've ever seen. 
> 
> (And she's self taught, too! How crazy is that?? :OO) 
> 
> Anyway, I really hope you enjoyed! If you have any thoughts, questions or snarks, please don't be afraid to leave a comment! They always brighten my day, and I respond to every comment I get. Have a wonderful day!


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